R-T-E cereals are popular packaged goods food items. R-T-E cereals exist in large numbers of varieties. R-T-E cereals, especially whole grain, are known as good sources of fiber. A good description of the literature pertaining to the health discussion on the role of fiber is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,045 (issued Oct. 11, 1988 to Vanderveer et al. and is entitled High Bran Snack) which is incorporated herein by reference. In view of the health interest in fiber, high fiber cereals are increasingly popular. These cereals contain added levels of insoluble fiber sources, especially corn and wheat bran, and range generally from about 2-5 g fiber/oz cereal. Generally, the fiber is predominantly of the insoluble type. Some cereals are formulated from all bran sources and can contain up to 8-10 g/oz fiber. High fiber cereals using purified insoluble fiber sources and artificial sweeteners can even contain as high as 8-13 g fiber/oz of cereal.
While popular, high fiber cereals are not without disadvantages. The primary concern is with the organoleptic qualities of the R-T-E cereal. Generally, as the concentration of fiber increases, the starchy components decrease, adversely affecting the cereals' organoleptic and physical properties. High fiber cereals are often dry, exhibit short bowl lives and yield highly frangible food pieces. In view of the difficulties of formulating R-T-E cereals with high levels of insoluble fiber, the prior art includes many efforts at improving the qualities of insoluble fiber fortified R-T-E cereals. Second, while most fiber rich R-T-E cereals have higher levels of insoluble fibers, present consumer interest is focused upon cereals containing oat bran which is a rich source of soluble fiber. Such high fiber cereals are actually quite low in soluble fiber content.
There is a growing awareness of the health benefits to people associated with soluble fiber consumption, especially reductions in blood serum cholesterol, i.e., antihypercholesterolemic benefits. Total dietary fiber ("TDF") comprises both soluble dietary fiber ("SDF") and insoluble dietary fiber ("IDF"). In addition to insoluble fiber, certain whole grain cereal flours contain soluble fiber which predominantly comprise beta glucans.
Unfortunately, R-T-E cereals, when formulated to be high in soluble fiber typically not only are extremely difficult to manufacture but also exhibit many undesirable attributes which can be quite different from insoluble fiber fortified R-T-E cereals. High soluble fiber formulated R-T-E cereals, especially high beta glucan cereals, are difficult to manufacture because they can absorb undesirably high amounts of moisture during processing. Also, the cereal dough tends to develop very high viscosities. High soluble fiber R-T-E cereals are often gummy or slimy upon consumption with milk, especially when the soluble fiber is derived from oat bran. The slimy texture of the R-T-E cereal results from the highly viscous nature of beta glucan and hydration of the beta glucan at the surface of the cereal when exposed to liquid. Most importantly, such high soluble fiber content cereals lack the organoleptically essential property of crispness.
The present invention is directed towards the provision of a high soluble fiber R-T-E cereal with superior organoleptic attributes or qualities. Surprisingly, the present invention provides such a superior quality high fiber R-T-E cereal which nonetheless contains a high concentration of soluble fiber. Moreover, in preferred embodiments, the present cereal compositions provide high fiber cereals having soluble fiber predominating. The present invention resides in part in the particular selection of barley beta glucan as a soluble fiber source used alone or in combination with oat soluble fiber.
Oats are well known as having relatively high levels of soluble fiber. The SDF content of oat flour ranges from about 3% to 7% depending upon such factors as variety, yield/season, source, etc. The SDF in oats is selectively concentrated in the outermost part of the endosperm close to the bran. Because of this, the oat bran fraction is relatively higher in soluble fiber concentration than whole oats and can range from about 5% to 8%. For this reason, oat bran consumption is enjoying immense and growing popularity. Oat bran is commonly added as a minor constituent to a wide variety of foods and as a major or principal component of various cereal products, both hot cereals and ready-to-eat ("R-T-E") cereals which modestly increases their soluble fiber contents. Unfortunately, due to the sudden increase in popularity, oat bran availability is tight and prices are high.
While popular, such R-T-E cereal products are unpuffed, typically in the form of flakes or shreds. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,840 (issued Feb. 5, 1985 to Gould et al.) entitled Cereal Foods Made From Oats and Method of Making. While unpuffed oat bran R-T-E cereal products are popular, it would be desirable to have a puffed oat bran R-T-E cereal. Of course, full oat flour puffed R-T-E cereals are well known and popular (e.g., Cheerios.RTM. brand R-T-E cereal). Such cereals contain certain native levels of oat bran. However, it would be desirable then to substantially fortify the cereal composition to provide an oat bran puffed cereal. Unfortunately, such oat bran fortification materially adversely affects the oat cereal compositions puffability. Indeed, a high oat bran cereal composition, if high in soluble fiber exhibits poor puffability. In view of this disadvantageous property, the art teaches separating out the beta glucan in making of puffed cereal. The art also includes methods for diluting the beta glucan content of oat flour in order to make a puffed R-T-E cereal (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,981 entitled Process for Preparing a Highly Expanded Oat Cereal Product, issued Nov. 4, 1986 to Gordon et al.).
In view of the availability, price and poor puffability of oat bran, it would be desirable to have an alternate concentrated source of soluble flour to oat bran. At present, psyllium seed husk flour (about 85% soluble fiber) has been suggested for use as a soluble fiber additive for a large number of food products. While useful, psyllium is also expensive. Moreover, psyllium is an imported foodstuff.
Barley is a widely grown and available, relatively inexpensive, domestic cereal grain. The native soluble fiber content of barley is roughly comparable to that of oats and ranges from about 3% to 7%, again depending upon such factors as variety, etc. However, in view of these similarities, problems regarding puffability can reasonably be expected as well in cereals with high levels of barley beta glucan. Moreover, another problem with barley is that in contrast to oats wherein the oat bran fraction is distinctly higher in soluble fiber, barley bran is not. The soluble fiber distribution in barley is more complex. Barley soluble fiber is concentrated in the cell walls of the endosperm, however, the soluble fiber distribution is more uniform throughout the barley endosperm or grain relative to the soluble fiber distribution in oats. Thus, unlike oat bran, barley bran is not usefully higher in soluble fiber content. Unfortunately then, due to these and other differences between grains, the art's teaching regarding milling and especially oat milling generally fails to provide methods for preparing barley fractions relatively richer (i.e., greater than about 7%) or leaner in soluble fiber content. Methods and techniques useful in processing other cereal grains provide little actual useful guidance in this respect due to the distinctive nature of barley.
The prior art, however, does include teachings relative to at least the second of the above noted problems and includes one known barley processing method to provide a purified beta glucan content barley fraction. This known processing method involves an extremely expensive and wet processing method and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,545 entitled Production of Beta Glucan, Bran, Protein, Oil and Maltose Syrup from Waxy Barley (issued Feb. 14, 1989 to Goering et al.). The wet processing techniques therein described involve improvements in wet barley processing methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,311,714 and 4,428,967. However, no commercial facility now exists which can practice the process on a commercial scale; that is, the method cannot be used with existing milling equipment. Moreover, yields are low. Finally, the high soluble fiber material obtained has gum-like properties which make the soluble fiber difficult to incorporate at high levels in a puffed cereal.
Other high fiber food products containing various fiber sources are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,557, to Becker et al., discloses a snack food product prepared by pre-mixing a dietary fiber with a food grade oil; premixing a compound coating containing a fractionated fat, sweetener, milk solids, yogurt, and a flavoring agent; blending the two pre-mixtures and adding a cereal product and a dried fruit or nut; and extruding the resulting mixture into a desired shape.
European patent application No. 0068229, to Kleinert, discloses the addition of the seed coats (episperm) of cocoa beans in finely powdered form, to dough, bread, snacks, and chocolate to increase bulk and stimulate the intestinal tract.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,379, to Kowalsky, discloses a dietetic composition for natural digestion regulation containing whole fleawort seeds, whole linseed, wheat bran, lactose, a binding agent based on natural rubber, flavor and food color additives. The preferred binding agent is gum arabic.
While these references disclose compositions of improved palatability, the taste of most products, especially R-T-E cereals, containing a sufficient amount of fiber, especially soluble, to be efficacious continues to be a problem. Those products which are particularly rich in fiber generally employ a fat or oil to increase the palatability of the products to mask partially the dryness and/or grittiness of most fiber sources.
Thus, it is quite surprising that a high soluble fiber, high insoluble fiber, crunchy, organoleptically pleasing efficacious R-T-E cereal can be obtained which does not require high levels of a fat ingredient.
In one method aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing such novel R-T-E cereal products. In another method aspect, the present invention resides in methods for reducing people's blood serum cholesterol by a regimen of once daily consumption of the present R-T-E cereals.